Celebrities are taking a greater interest in British football of late, investing in clubs or even buying them outright in recent years.

North American investors have been eyeing up English Football League teams in particular, spying opportunities for potential growth and dreaming of one day reaching the Premier League.

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Snoop Dogg is the latest big name celebrity to get involved, following the lead of AC Milan midfielder Luka Modric in becoming a co-owner and investor at Swansea City.

Here are a few more well-known names who have taken the plunge into the British game.

Five celebrities who have invested in British football clubs

Tom Brady – Birmingham City

Birmingham City fans rejoiced when its Chinese owners were finally replaced by Shelby Companies Limited (SCL) in 2023. Former NFL superstar Tom Brady was roped into the deal, becoming a minority owner and chairman of a new advisory board at the club.

The ex-New England Patriots quarterback even visited The Roost pub before taking in his first game at St. Andrew’s, a 1-0 win over Leeds United.

SCL and Brady got off to an inauspicious start, sacking manager John Eustace and replacing him with Wayne Rooney. It was a disastrous decision, ultimately leading to the Midlands outfit’s relegation to League One.

A transfer spending spree the following summer helped City bounce straight back up the Championship, the first step in Brady’s plan to turn them into a “world-class team”.

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney – Wrexham AFC

Arguably the most talked-about celebrity ownership in British football, Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds and It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia star Rob McElhenney co-purchased Wrexham AFC in 2020.

The journey so far, which has been captured in a multi-series documentary on Disney+, has seen the Welsh club rise from non-league football all the way to the second tier of the EFL.

Michael B. Jordan – AFC Bournemouth

American investor Bill Foley was the leading force behind a consortium which completed a £120 million takeover of Bournemouth back in 2022. It soon turned out that actor Michael B. Jordan, who recently played the lead role in the hit film Sinners, became a minority shareholder as part of the deal.

The sight of Jordan at Dean Court remains a surreal one.

JJ Watt – Burnley

Another former American footballer who gotten bitten by the British football bug, JJ Watt is a genuine fan of the sport. Indeed, he is a Chelsea supporter, but in 2023 he and his wife became minority investors in Burnley.

The former NFL defensive end said he invested in the Clarets because he wanted to be involved at boardroom level with a professional sports team, joining forces with American owner Alan Pace.

Just this week, Pace reached an agreement to take over LaLiga side Espanyol, and Watt will have involvement at the Catalan club.

LeBron James – Liverpool

The LA Lakers star, considered the best basketball player of all time by many, has been long time investor in Liverpool, purchasing a two per cent stake in the Reds following Fenway Sports Group’s takeover back in 2011.

“I’m a big Liverpool fan”, LeBron declared at the time.

See Also – The highest spending clubs in Europe so far this summer

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